Means for wiping metal-coated wire



(No Model.) 2 Shets-Sheet 1.

' H. ROBERTS.

MEANS FOR WIPING METAL COATED WIRE. N0. 27.5 520 Pate ed A r-10,1883.

(No Model.)

- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. H. ROBERTS. I MEANS FOR WLPING METALIGOATBD WIRE. N0. 275,520.

*Pate'nted A'pr. 10,1883

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY ROBERTS, or PITTSBURG,"PENNSYLVANIA.

MEANS FOR WIPING METAL-COATED WIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 275,520, dated April 10, 1883,

Application filed November 28, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it mag concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY ROBERTS, a citizen ot the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coating Metals with Metal, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to the wiping to remove the surplus of melted metal. I

I will describe the invention as applied to the treatment ofcommon round wires, which I will assume are drawn down from rods of Bessemer steel; but it may be understood that any metal capable of being coated with zinc or analogous metal may be substituted, and that the wires may be flat, round, or of various other sections, and that they may be known as wires, or by the various other technical names, as hoop-iron, bale-ties, or the like.

I provide an ordinary bath of melted zinc. I provide the ordinary surface-coating of salammoniac, and the ordinary immersing-sinker, beneath which the wires are passed through the bath in order to insure their long and uniform immersion.

I have discovered and practically wrought out peculiarly eliicientineans for wiping oif the surplus metal by the application of the material known as mineral wool, slag-wool,or silicate-cotton. It is a silky, fibrous matter, produced by the treatment of cinder from a blast-furnace by blowing it with a current of steam at high pressure. Slag-woolfiasl will hereinafter term it, is highly elasticandsmooth, is not destroyed by the heat, and has but a slight affinity for or property of adhesion to the melted metal, and is sufficiently frictionless, elastic, and mobile in its nature to allow of being worked by rollers, so as to be moved in the manner which I will describe, and which is made the subject of a separate application for patent. I lead the wire in an inclined direction upward from the bath of melted metal through a quantity of this wiping-material, the wiping being efiected by active contact with this material immediately on the emergence of the wires from the melted bath. I can reduce the consumption of zinc to a minimum. The wires emerge from the wiping-box thinly and uniformly coated, and present a remarkably perfect surface. The preparation of the wires to receive the melted zinc, and the treatment in the ba-th of zinc, may be of the ordinary and longapproved character.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification, and represent what I consider the best means of carrying out the invention.

Figure I is a vertical section through the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. The remaining figures represent details dctached. Fig.3isacentral vertical section of in y improved wipingbox. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the same, showing the ends of the agitating-rolls, their operating-gear, and the partition-space at the side.

Similar letters of reference indicatelike parts in all the figures. I will describe the wiping of only one wire;

but it will be understood that the apparatus may treat a series of wires traversed, side by side, at a proper distance apart.

1A is the reel from which the wire m is delivered; B, the acid bath; 0, a quantity of broken stonetherein; D, a series of rolls, some ofwhich we turned by power to aid the movement of thesIag-wool; E, a guiding-sheave; F, tubes through the drying-furnace G; and H, a series of guiding-sheaves from which the wire is plunged directly into the bath I of the melted metal.

JJ. are sin kers in the melted metal, so placed that the wiresin passing under these sinkers are certain of being immersed to the proper length. The tank is of sufficient length to insure a uniformity of temperature between the wires and the-bath before the wires emerge. I have in my experiments made the metal tank I about twelve (12) feet long and caused the wires to traverse a little over a foot per second. The sinkers J are peculiar. There is one of these for each wire. Each has at its upper end an outwardly-projectinglug which is just the right' size to engage in graduated holes in a bridge or piece spanning the end of the tank. On emerging from the metal bath I the wires are led up through slots in the bottom of a partially overhanging box, K, which contains a liberal supply of the slag-wool k, which serves as the wiping material and the upper surface of which should be kept damp with water or melted metal to the earthy wool is very slight.

tungstate of soda. The wires are led in an in I clined direction through this box and emerge with just a sutfieient coating of zinc, ready to be wound in coils for sale or use. An agitation or circulating movement of the wiping material is attained by rollers L, mounted in the wipingbox and turned bygearing in the direction indicated by the arrows. The surfaces ofthe several rolls are armed with projections l, which engage with ajust sufticient quantity of the slag-wool. and dragitalong, so as to present it favorably to wipe the wires m. The rollers are turned slowly only about one revolution in two seconds. They agitate the slag-wool and continually present new surfaces thereof to the steadily moving wires. The general tendency of the rollers is to more the wiping material gradually from the back to the front of the 'wipingbox, or, in other words, toward that side of the wipingbox which overhangs the bath I of melted zinc. The slag-wool is in its nature a good non-conductor. Its temperature is soon raised by the working, so that it approximates closely to that ofthemeltedzinc,exceptthattheupperstratum is kept wet and relatively cool by sprinkling with water, either ordinary fresh water, or, preferably, asolutionoftungstate ot'soda. The melted zinc, removed by the particles of slag moved actively toward the receiving side ofthe box, is deposited in that edge of the box and dropped through the openings there provided into the tank. The aftinity or adhesion of the Thereis a constant agitation of the wiping material and a presentation of fresh surfaces to the 'melted metal coating on the wire; also, a movement of the material between the rolls toward thereeeiving side ofthebox, and thence upward and backward to the other side, from whenceitis again moved forward. The action of the rolls not only presents fresh surfaces, and presents them with a motion opposite to that of the wires, so as to insure an eliective wiping, but also tends to induce a quite compact condition of the fibrous material at the base of the receiving side of the wiping-box. It tends the better to express any particles of melted metal which have been brought with it from the other portions of the box. I esteem this a marked advantage.

The lower part, K of thcside of the wipinghox nearest to the tank of melted metal is made in a separate piece from the rest, and can be removed on taking out the screws k, which are inserted through lugs in the upper portion, K, of the side. This facilitates the removal of the finely broken wiping material which tends to accumulate there.

Modifications maybe made in the forms and proportions of the details. I have worked successfully with the wiping-box only about two (2) feet wide, so as to give a wiping traverse of only two (2) feet; but this may be varied. I believe that little gain would result from an increase of the wiping traverse, because wires of small size become rapidly cooled. For very large wires a wider wiping-box would be expedient.

There is a tendency of the slag-wool to become worn, abraded, or broken, so as to accumulate a line dust in the bottom. When this has become too tine I replace it with fresh. No particular difficulty is experienced it" considererablc ot' the broken earthy matter falls upon the melted zine.

The mechanism shown by which to present the wiping material with continually-changing surfaces and with a motion in the opposite direction to that of the wires is made the subject of a separate application for patent; so, also, certain peculiarities of the acid bath and dry ing-furnace form the subject of a separate application for patent.

I claim as my invention In apparatus for coating wire with melted zinc, a wiper composed of the elastic vitreous Iiber known as slag wool in combination with suitable means for holding the same and presenting it to the wire, substantially as herein specified.

In testimony whercofl have hereunto set my hand at New York city, N. Y., this 15th day of November, 1882, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY ROBERTS.

Witnesses:

A. E. Frann A. ll. GENTNER. 

